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seriousfoodcritic
somewhere, Australia
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Nothing Out of the Ordinary @ Ziggabalis Italian Restaurant

Good Wheelchair access

I was quite excited to be eating at Ziggabalis after reading the reviews here but have to say that I was fairly disappointed after my dining experience. I ate with a group of 10. First, things which have room for improvement - the atmosphere was ordinary with no background music, harsh lighting and tablecloths crudely clipped to tables with clips sticking out (often right where patrons had to sit). Service was non existent except for times our orders were being taken or dishes being cleared (patrons should always be asked about meals or if they need anything else during the meal- we were left well alone to the point of being ignored.) Unless you BYO'd or drank wine, the bar was extremely limited - only premixes and the usual beers, nothing unusual, different or Italian (though for non drinkers, the Italian soft drinks were nice). Food ranged from being really nice to being awful; for example, gnocci bolognaise is a simple dish which should be pretty hard to wreck but the one we were served was gritty (both gnocci and sauce) and tasted like it was made on cheap mince which was ground so fine it was almost a paste. The only thing right about it was the lightness of the gnocci. The tortellini dish had a simple, beautifully creamy sauce complimented with fresh bacon, mushroom and herbs yet the pasta itself was a tasteless let down. And commercially fine ground parmesan cheese compliments nothing especially when there are lumps of it on your meal. It would also have been lovely to see more Italian desserts on offer and those that were Italian to be authentically so - gelato flavoured with coconut or pineapple don't ring true. Also, while the entrees were served promptly, it took forever for our mains to arrive which was not good enough especially since there were more empty tables than full.

Good points (and there were some) ; the Bruscetta was divine and signature scallopini nice also. The toppings on the pizzas ordered were tasty combinations. Pizzas were a correct thickness and would have been perfect had the bases not unfortunately been soggy. The wine list was great and nice to see local aussie drops included. Value for money wise; prices were reasonable but the food really needs to be delivered a whole lot better if Ziggabalis is to gain a reputation for being authentic.

Nice: Atmosphere, Food, Service, Value


Overall: Nice